Outlander's Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe Reveal Their Reality TV Obsessions | Sorry Not Sorry

Popular historical fantasy romance series, Outlander, will end with its eighth season. The show, which began in 2014, has a very loyal fanbase who have made Outlander one of Prime’s most popular properties. With the end in sight for the series, lead actors Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe have been on the farewell press tour, and during a conversation with JustWatch, they discussed their somewhat shameful viewing habits. 

WATCH: Outlander's Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe Reveal Their Secret OBSESSION With Reality Shows! 

When asked what their Sorry, Not Sorry picks would be, Caitriona Balfe was quick to explain that she doesn’t believe in the concept of a guilty pleasure: “I think I’ve gotten over the idea of guilty pleasure. I think if you enjoy it, you enjoy it.” In the next breath, she shared, “First Dates I like,” a choice that co-star Sam Heughan was quick to jump on as he exclaimed, “Oh, I LOVE First Dates!” 

Why is First Dates the Perfect Reality Show for the Outlander Duo?

In Outlander, Caitriona Balfe’s Claire is transported from the 1940s to 1743, where she encounters Sam Heughan’s Jamie. The pair are thrown together under strange circumstances, not too unlike that of a meal in the First Dates restaurant. 

The reality show began in 2013, and the format is simple - couples meet in a restaurant for a blind date. At the end of the date, the couples are interviewed together and asked whether they want to see one another again. This either leads to a resounding yes and the pair going off into the sunset together, or, as is more often the case, the awkward no. Most outcomes are compelling to watch, but it is the interactions on the dates that really hook the viewer. 

From opposites attract, to weird food habits, and that big conversation about whether or not to split the bill, First Dates offers some great insight into human social behaviour. 

Sam Heughan is so bewitched by First Dates that he further admitted, “First Dates Hotel is really good as well”. A fan of the original format, Balfe replied, “I haven’t watched that,” only to almost trigger a Ted talk-style sermon from Heughan as he began explaining the set-up wherein the action moves to Italy. The format of First Dates Hotel is similar to that of First Dates, only the meal happens in an Italian hotel, and the dates are stuck around one another for several days rather than just a couple of hours. This makes for great television when the couple aren’t a match, as they try their best to save any ill feelings and avoid one another in whatever ways they can. 

Other Reality Show Recommendations According to Super Fan Sam Heughan 

Although much of the conversation focused on First Dates and its spin-off, Sam Heughan outed himself as a massive fan of reality shows, even going on record saying, “I really, really love reality shows”. 

He then backed up the claim by listing the shows on his current viewing rotation: “I love The Great Pottery Throw Down, I love The Repair Shop; The Irish Traitors is wonderful.” The list left Balfe somewhat speechless, but Heughan’s line-up provides solid recommendations for those who have an appetite for easy reality TV show viewing. The Great Pottery Throw Down is essentially The Great British Bake-Off, but with potters competing for the title of Top Potter. Another show in a similar vein, only with amateur sewers vying for the title of Best British Home Sewer, is The Great British Sewing Bee.

The Repair Shop proves that not everything that is broken should be thrown away, as a team of experts is tasked with restoring precious family heirlooms. The show is a perfect evening ‘collapse on the sofa’ viewing, its gentleness helping de-stress after a busy work day. In contrast, The Traitors is a little more high-stakes. 

After the success of the original British series, Traitors has been adapted for countries across the globe, with Heughan highlighting the Irish version as being well worth your investment. The premise of Traitors is that a group of people are blindly separated into two groups, Traitors and Faithfuls. The mission for the Faithfuls is to uncover the identity of the Traitors before they can ‘kill’ them. Basically, a big televised game of Wink Murder or Werewolf, Traitors and its celebrity counterpart is a regular ratings winner.  

Sam Heughan concluded the chat with JustWatch by revealing that his love of reality shows is actually fairly new, but why now? He explained, “I’ve now got all this spare time that I never had before.” It looks like the actor is filling the Outlander-shaped void in his life with a plethora of reality TV viewing, confirming - with just a hint of sarcasm - “I’m catching up on all the really good television.” 

With Outlander now having completed filming of its final season, exactly what the duo will do next is still to be determined, but for Heughan at least, it appears that a starring role in a celebrity version of one of his favourite reality shows could be something that would appeal to him greatly. Let’s get him on the next season of The Celebrity Traitors.